More Than 24

I know my birthday was all the way back in June, but it's taken a while to find the words to capture exactly what I wanted to say. I was kinda dreading my birthday this year. Well, maybe not dreading it, but I wasn't too excited about it at first. I was really bummed not to be home for it, to be honest, and I thought it was just going to feel like any other day.

Tim and I started making plans, though, and it started getting more exciting. As we talked about it, I also told him how I just wasn't too excited. He told me he really didn't understand why, so I tried to explain it to him. I actually was feeling like it was surreal in a way to be turning 24 and truly feeling like an adult. He pointed out that I've been one all through college, but I clarified that I meant the "adult" I always looked forward to being -- one with my own place, my own job, my own bills, etc...being fully in the adult world. It just didn't feel real at all.

Then it clicked.God brought so many things together in my life, especially just since my last birthday...

• A job I love
• A place of my very own
• A dog to love and spoil rotten...which became two! 
• A wonderful boyfriend to share a beautiful relationship with
• A knowledge so much deeper that corresponds with my independence
• The support of amazing family and friends to help me through everything

And you know, suddenly 24 became real to me. More than that, it became a real blessing.

The day itself was absolutely remarkable. After a wake up call from that sweet boyfriend of mine, I got some things done at home. Tim surprised me with coffee, roses, and a wonderful card before we went to Lincoln for a few hours for some lunch and a Target adventure. We made a surprise stop at DQ on the way home and got a birthday cake [I picked out a cake witha tractor to commemorate the first year of officially living in Nebraska, hehehe]. After Tim left for work, I got some birthday phone calls from friends and family, watched Scrubs while crocheting, and talked to Tim once more before calling it a night. I went to bed loving the day and feeling like a treasured princess.

24 ended up being one of the best birthdays...and to think I started off dreading it! It's been a good first few months of being this old, and I'm excited to see what other adventures come before I turn 25. :)

Yes.

Music That Moves

Music comes in different forms. There are songs that take us back to moments or chapters in our lives and reawakens memories and feelings. Some songs you can't listen to without belting out at the top of your lungs, the ones that have become an anthem of sorts in your life. There's the kind of music that you can put on while you get lost in your own thoughts, or the kind that you put on to match your mood. And who can forget the kind of music that demands that you instantly start to jam out, whether it's blaring it in the car while you're on a road trip or dancing like a maniac in your kitchen while you're putting dishes away.

The best kind of music, if you ask me, is the kind that makes you stop and think when you're done letting every part of it wash over you.

A few weeks ago at a church in Florida a singer preceded the message with this song. I was left stunned by the lyrics and how they speak to how many feelings that we go through sometimes as we let ourselves focus on the ways we are unworthy of the  unshakable love of God.  It speaks to the way we sometimes judge others before trying to reflect this love. Basically it captures the ways we lose sight of the fact that the love is a gift.

I'll post the video so you can hear it for yourself. If you'd rather read the lyrics than listen, look below the video for a link. Whichever way you chose, please take time to let the words sink in.

Check out the lyrics here. 

One From the List

There is something extraordinarily satisfying about completing projects that have been looming overhead for many months. A big task I wanted to take on this summer was working on reorganizing my office room to get it to be more functional.

There are still a few minor things to do (putting a few more things away, moving some books around, decorating some of the bare walls a little more), but all in all it's good. It took less time than I thought, really. It was just one day of work (plus a night or two a while ago).

I had quite a few things that I finally am throwing away -- mostly in the form of old notes and such from college that I thought I'd refer back to but haven't even thought about -- which has reduced the clutter a lot and makes it more organized. [I feel like my old roommate Brenda would be proud of me being a bit less of a pack rat and embracing minimalism a bit more. :)]

Cross one more major thing off the Summer To Do list, and move on to some others.

...like really getting in the zone for school prep during this last month of break. *gulp*

         .....and blogging more often. 

(among other adventures, of course.)